Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin urged ASEAN parliamentarians to set aside their political differences and act in unity to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.
Speaking at the ASEAN Leaders' Interface with Representative of ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA), he said as parliamentarians act as a link between the Government and the people, they have an important role to play.
"Parliamentarians have a duty to ensure that all measures that have been taken result in enhanced protection and support of the most vulnerable.
"It is also important for parliamentarians to raise awareness on COVID-19 at their respective constituencies by promoting the importance of good personal hygiene as well as in adapting (to) the new normal, such as wearing face masks and social distancing in public," he said.
The Interface session was held as part of the 36th ASEAN Summit held virtually today, hosted by ASEAN Chair of 2020, Vietnam.
The session with ASEAN Leaders was joined by AIPA representatives from 10 ASEAN Member States, in which Malaysia was represented by Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Mohamad Ariff Md Yusof.
Muhyiddin, who led the Malaysian delegation to the 36th ASEAN Summit, joined the session from Putrajaya.
The Prime Minister said despite facing a difficult task of addressing the health and socioeconomic costs of COVID-19, ASEAN Member States have individually or collectively worked to contain the spread of the deadly virus by sharing timely information, technical expertise, best practices as well as risk reports and data analyses.
"ASEAN Member States have also joined hands in reducing the impact of the pandemic to the livelihood of our people. During this time of uncertainty, the public often turns to their elected representatives for leadership and support," he said.
Muhyiddin said he hoped ASEAN parliamentarians and AIPA would be able to play a more proactive role in engaging and communicating the importance of ASEAN and its dialogues to their respective constituencies to ensure they understand the positive impacts of working as a regional bloc.
"The ASEAN Way does work and the success of our 10 nations will determine greatly on our people. The burden is on our shoulders, but I believe with mutual trust and honesty, we can emerge as a strong force to be reckoned with in the post-pandemic era," he said.
Muhyiddin also urged the parliamentarians to become a rallying force in highlighting the very need to broaden the appeal of an 'ASEAN identity' from the ground up as 2020 has been chosen as the "Year of ASEAN Identity" to raise awareness of the public about the region's activities and development process.
"Yes, ASEAN has come a long way in making its identity more visible. However, our identity markers have largely been institutional and confined to bureaucratic circles - having an ASEAN flag, for instance - instead of seeping into the public, popular sphere," he added.
The Prime Minister told the parliamentarians that their constituencies must understand that ASEAN is doing its best to kickstart its regional economy through the potential establishments of 'Green Travel Bubbles' and intra-ASEAN tourism.
ASEAN comprises a population of over 650 million people with a combined nominal Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of roughly US$3.3 trillion, with over US$3.4 trillion in global trade transiting through the region each year.
He said as a regional bloc, ASEAN's impact on the global economy and trade must not be ignored.
"As Malaysia has proposed earlier in April, we urgently need a Regional Economic Recovery Plan and this is what we pushed for in this morning's ASEAN Summit," he said.
AIPA, originally formed in 1977 as the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Organisation (AIPO), aims to encourage understanding, cooperation, and close relations among Member Parliaments as well as Observer Member Parliaments and other parliamentary organisations.
It also plays an instrumental role in familiarising the peoples of Southeast Asia with policies aimed at accelerating the realisation of an ASEAN Community in 2015.
The 36th ASEAN Summit was scheduled to take place in April in Vietnam's Da Nang, but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
-- BERNAMA
Bernama
Fri Jun 26 2020
The Interface session was held as part of the 36th ASEAN Summit held virtually today, hosted by ASEAN Chair of 2020, Vietnam. - FILEpic
Motorcycling - Marquez wins Australian MotoGP after intense battle with Martin
The 31-year-old, third in the championship standings, has now won the Australian MotoGP four times in the premier class.
Prabowo takes up Indonesian presidency, vows to tackle corruption, other issues
Indonesia's Prabowo Subianto on Sunday took over as president of the world's third-largest democracy, vowing to combat internal issues
Nepal's Sherpas deserve more, says teenager who scaled world's 14 tallest peaks
Sherpas are known for climbing skills that make them the backbone of mountain expeditions.
Inside the underground lab in China tasked with solving a physics mystery
China will soon collect neutrino data, aiming to unravel one of particle physics' biggest mysteries.
Millions in Cuba still without power as major outage persists
Millions of Cubans remain without electricity because of a prolonged outage at the main power plants on the island, Anadolu Agency reported.
Surge in Gaza violence increases famine risk, monitor says
About 1.84 million people across the besieged Palestinian enclave are living through high levels of acute food insecurity.
Israel pounds Beirut and Gaza after rockets hit Israel's north
A drone was launched at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's holiday home.
Elon Musk promises to award $1 mil each day to a signer of his petition
He awarded a $1 million check to an attendee of his event in Pennsylvania aimed at rallying supporters behind Donald Trump.
Former special forces commander Prabowo to take up Indonesian presidency
Indonesia's Prabowo Subianto will take over as president of the world's third-largest democracy after sweeping the country's election with policies like free meals for school children
Father of Malaysian Islamic banking, Abdul Halim Ismail passes away
His dedication and pioneering spirit played an important role in shaping the journey of Bank Islam as well as leaving a lasting impact on the development of Malaysia's Islamic finance industry.
Zayn Malik postpones US tour dates after One Direction bandmate Liam Payne's death
Payne, 31, died on Wednesday after falling from a third-floor hotel room balcony in Buenos Aires, shocking fans of the boy band.
Why voters in a handful of swing states will decide the US presidential election
The contest will almost certainly be decided by just tens of thousands of voters a tiny fraction of the populace in a handful of states.
INSIGHT - Sudan's war risks 'lost generation' of children
A devastating crisis is unfolding in Sudan, where the most vulnerable members of society children are bearing the brunt of the violence.
Who is Prabowo Subianto, incoming president of Indonesia?
A wealthy ex-general with ties to Indonesia's popular outgoing president and its dictatorial past, looks set to be its next leader.
Trump says he would impose tariffs on China if China went into Taiwan
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said he would impose additional tariffs on China if China were to "go into Taiwan,"
Iran's supreme leader says Hamas leader's death will not halt 'Axis of Resistance'
The "Axis of Resistance", built up with years of Iranian support, includes Hamas, the Lebanese Hezbollah group, the Houthi movement in Yemen, and various Shi'ite groups in Iraq and Syria.
Putin says Russia willing to seek compromises between Iran and Israel
Russia is ready to help seek compromises between arch-foes Israel and Iran, President Vladimir Putin said on Friday, saying these would be difficult but possible.
What proposals will Russia push at the BRICS summit?
The proposal is also to establish a BRICS reinsurance company to allow uninterrupted shipment of goods and key commodities between members.
Indonesia's free meals plan in the spotlight as Prabowo readies for office
Prabowo calls the programme one of the main drivers of economic growth, eventually set to add an estimated 2.5 million jobs.
Astro AWANI's revamped English news website, AWANI International, launches on Oct 21
Astro AWANI's revamped English platform delivers in-depth global news and expert analysis to keep you informed on key developments.